Mariah Carey Says Childhood Contributed to Bipolar Disorder In an interview with ‘The Guardian,’ Carey shared details on her childhood struggles with being biracial. Carey, whose mother is Irish-American Mariah Carey, to 'The Guardian' Mariah Carey, to 'The Guardian' She also recalled a time when one of her friends saw her father, Alfred Carey, for the first time. Mariah Carey, to 'The Guardian' In April, Carey revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 17 years ago.